Every year, in early December, Bali’s capital, Denpasar, marks International AIDS Day. On Monday, 01 December 2025, International AIDS Day was again commemorated at the office of Denpasar’s Mayor, with the presentation of printed educational materials and stemmed roses to professional drivers working in Bali.
Beritabali.com reports that the organizer of the 2025 AIDS Day declared a target of eliminating the societal stigma suffered by HIV sufferers by seeking to involve every level of society in the battle to prevent HIV/AIDS and treat those infected with the disease with dignity and humanity.
The Deputy Mayor of Denpasar, I Kadek Agus Arya Wibawa, has underlined the need for collaboration and involvement of the public in the battle against HIV/AIDS. Denpasar is currently experiencing an increase of 800 to 900 new cases of HIV/AID each year.
Current data records the total number of cases of HIV/AIDS in Denpasar has reached 17,028 cases, comprised of 9,824 cases of HIV and 7,254 cases of AIDS.
“The increase in new cases every year is very high, between 800 and 900 cases,” said Arya Wibawa,
The highest risk of transmission is among heterosexuals, ranking at 71% of all new cases, while 21% of new cases are experienced by homosexuals, 4% caused by sharing intravenous syringes, and 2% by mother-to-child transmission. In terms of age groups, the highest number of cases occurs in the “productive age group” of 20 to 59-year-olds.
Those aged 20–29 constitute 38% of new cases, followed by the 30–39 year age group at 33%, and the 40–49 age group at 16%. These figures demonstrate the importance of educating people, commencing with adolescents.
“Those aged between 20 and 29 years old were most probably exposed to the infection five or ten years earlier. That was when they were still teenagers,” Wibawa explained.
In Denpasar City alone, there are 33 HIV testing services, 31 HIV CST treatment services, 31 STI screening services, four services for preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV, three sterile injection equipment services, and one methadone treatment station. .T
The Metropolitan Administration of Denpasar has expressed the hope that the public will understand the importance of the prevention of HIV/AIDS, the need for the elimination of discrimination against those infected with the disease, and the need to create an inclusive, health-minded culture for everyone living in Denpasar, Bali.
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